


Sing A Little Song

by plikki



Series: Keeping it under wraps [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chat Blanc Spoilers, F/M, Identity Reveal, Singing, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-30 14:49:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21429994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plikki/pseuds/plikki
Summary: All it took was Adrien singing this little song he loved. And it all came crashing down.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Keeping it under wraps [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1592848
Comments: 31
Kudos: 575





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Someone on Twitter was asking for a fic in which Marinette hears Adrien sing his song and realises he's Chat. I can't find the person now, I hope they see this, Because the idea took root and I had to write this (when I have no time for writing, really!).  
I hope you like it!

Marinette stopped in front of the statue of a woman she knew. She'd seen her before. That same serene smile and elegant posture. Adrien's mom.

She'd been at Adrien's house before. But almost always on a mission or in a hurry. So now that he was giving them the grand tour, she could admire every little thing. It was a bit too much grandeur for her taste, but she liked the peacefulness of the garden, especially this little nook with the statue nestled between the flower bushes.

Adrien had obviously noticed her stop to admire it because he took a few steps back to her, while Alya and Nino kept walking.

"I... I'm sorry," she said, realising all too late that she'd drawn attention to the statue. Reminding him of the mother he loved and missed so much. She didn't want to make him feel sad.

"It's ok," he said with a smile. "I love it here. It always makes me feel peaceful. It reminds me of happier times."

She smiled at that. She'd always admired his positive nature, especially in view of the tragedy he'd gone through. Somehow he could see something positive in everything, even the darkest, saddest things.

"There was a song she used to sing to me," he added, a faraway look in his eyes as he got lost in memories. "Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his lady..." he sang softly.

Marinette felt her blood run cold. No. This couldn't be happening. The melody, she words instantly transported her to where she'd heard this song before. She could almost feel her feet hit a rooftop. She could almost see Chat Noir sitting on the edge, singing to himself. She used to tease him about it. She felt a painful twinge in her heart at the memory.

And then another one. Another memory. Not of regular patrols with her partner. But of a moment she so much wanted to forget, just like everything else was erased. A terrible memory of her on that rooftop, destruction and desolation all around, Chat Blanc alone in the world, driven mad by loss and grief, singing to himself, waiting for the lady that would never come. But she did come and help repair everything. It was something that wouldn't happen. Yet the memory remained. 

It was Adrien. Both her Chat Noir and Chat Blanc she'd faced only once. What he'd told her made so much more sense now. About them being together, in love. She'd tried so hard to forget that part. To shield her heart from it. The knowledge that she'd been in love with Chat, happy with him, could break her so easily if she let it happen. It was the last straw. She'd been determined to keep him away, to not let him get too close before. Now she had a reason. Because being with him could cause so much pain, destruction. The end of the world. She'd seen it all. 

It had been hard, because she cared so much about him. And there was this treacherous part of herself that always reminded her that her feelings for him were not that platonic. That there was friendship and there was that warmth in her heart whenever she thought about him. The way she missed him if she didn't see him for a while. The way her heart missed a beat whenever he looked at her that way. But she'd resisted. Even more so when she knew what was at stake.

And now this. The boy behind the mask was no longer a stranger. An enigma. In such an unexpected way it had been revealed to her. Who could have thought that a simple tune could give away so much? Now, how could she unknow this? It was too much. And it was too late to pretend that she was ok. 

She was trembling. Tears filling her eyes. This couldn't be happening. Not him. Not now. 

"Marinette? Marinette!" came Adrien's frantic voice. He must have seen the state she was in. Had seen her inexplicable panic. She had to do something to divert his attention, the logical part of her knew. But her heart was consumed with the newfound knowledge. That the boy she'd loved for so long was the same person who saved her life on a daily basis. Her precious partner who was always there for her and made her laugh.

"Chat," fell from her lips without her realising it. Through blurry eyes, she saw Adrien stiffen. He was trying to figure out what had caused her to say this. She saw him realise. Connect the dots. The moment it clicked in his head.

He took her hands in his and leaned closer,turning his back to Alya and Nino, who'd stopped to look at something in the other end of the garden. 

"M'lady," he whispered. In awe. And happiness. It was so simple for him, he didn't know what she knew.

"No. No. This shouldn't be happening. No This is terrible," she rattled off. Panic consumed her. 

"Shh. We've got this. It's ok," came his steady voice. The voice she knew so well. That always calmed her when she thought there was no hope. When she didn't know what to do. He'd always been there for her, in one form or another, she realised.

Her heart clenched with pain. She loved him. So much. And couldn't have him. No. 

"Marinette," he called to her again. 

She was looking at her hands in his. So simple. And yet so much.

She looked up and her vision blurred again. No. Looking into his eyes didn't help. These kind, soft eyes. Always full of understanding. And love, when she was Ladybug. And now. The way he looked at her broke her heart anew.He must have sensed her turmoil and yet he didn't know.

"I know it's bad but we'll deal with this together, ok?" he said. Trying to reason with her. To help her calm down. As always.

"We'll talk about this later. But please don't cry. Don't panic. It'll be ok."

"You can't know for sure," she whispered. He didn't. He didn't remember, like she did.

"Maybe I can't. But we know this is the biggest secret that we have to keep. We'd just keep it together. You trust me, right?"

His solid presence and calm voice were already working their magic. She nodded.

"I love you, Marinette," he said reverently. She gulped and felt a blush cover her cheeks. She thought she'd faint. 

"I'm here. We'll deal with this. We can deal with anything when we're together."

The surprising thing was that she believed him. 

She wanted to hug him, to feel his calming warmth, feel his strong arms shield her from the world. She also wanted to kiss him. She'd wanted this for so long. And finally she could.

But not now, she thought, remembering where they were. She looked at Alya and Nino, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding so close to them. At least all that had happened had remained undetected. She let out a breath she'd been holding. 

And then she raised a trembling hand to Adrien's lips, gently touching them. She saw his eyes widen.

"Later," she promised. Hoping he'd understand. 

Clearly he did because his cheeks tinged a soft pink. 

"Later," he agreed, squeezing the hand he was still holding. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is actually getting a second part. watch this space!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it any surprise that I couldn't' resist writing that "later" part? And some of you were asking for more. So here it is.

Pretending everything was alright, as if her life hadn't turned upside down in a matter of minutes, had been hard. Marinette had been terrified that Alya would sense her unusual nervousness and call her out on it. But Alya probably thought that Marinette was her usual self around Adrien.

Which was so far from the truth that Marinette felt an urge to laugh. Because things had changed so much and now she felt so different. Before, she'd been shy and maybe a little intimidated by Adrien, she had to admit. She was always worried that she'd embarrass herself and usually ended up doing just that. Now... she felt nervous becasause she had something too important to hide. And also, after what she'd seen with her own eyes in that alternate future, it was harder to concentrate on simple things like being awkward around your crush, it seemed like such a pointless thing to worry about all of a sudden. There was another thing. Adrien's presence now had a different effect on her. It was strange, since not that much had happened, but it had been enough. Now his presence by her side gave her strength. 

Still, considerate as he was, he'd tried to cut the tour as short as he could without looking suspicious. She felt he was as impatient as her to get this over with. That promise of later hung between them, electrifying the air between them when their eyes met. Which made it very hard not to blush all the time.

Finally, it was over and she was free to head to their usual meeting place. Her and Chat's. Now her and Adrien's, she thought with a shiver of delight. Although she also felt trepidation, because they had a lot to talk about and all of it so serious. She couldn't allow herself to be happy just yet.

But when she arrived and saw him waiting for her, a small smile playing on his lips, all caution was forgotten. She practically flew into his arms and almost immediately relaxed into his embrace, feeling home. They stood like that for a while, just enjoying being so close. Allowing the overwhelming emotions from earlier to slowly seep out of them. 

"Is it later already?" she heard his voice muffled by her hair. There was just a tiny bit of teasing in it, mostly it was hopeful and showed that he was feeling the same way as her - impatient. 

She chuckled and looked up at him. 

"It is," she whispered and rose on her tip toes to do what she'd been dying to do. It had been hard to wait but it had been totally worth it. Now they were calmer, they didn't have to hide and were free to make the most of it. She hadn't thought it was possible for a kiss to be so sweet but also mean so much. All the longing they'd kept locked in their hearts burst to the surface as their lips met, making them clutch at each other in despair, afraid they might lose the other one again. It was both new and yet so familiar. She was kissing both Chat and Adrien, what an amazing thought. It gave her the strength she needed to go through what was about to come next. 

When they finally broke the kiss, a little out of breath, Chat, um, Adrien looked at her in a way that made her already weak knees almost buckle. It was a good thing he was holding her. 

"I have to say I'm surprised. I was under the impression that you didn't like me like that," he said, curiosity in his voice and his eyes. Marinette blushed at this. Right. First she'd have to clear this out. 

"I wasn't very good at showing you how I really felt about you, I'm sorry. But it has always been you," she said softly. Finally saying it out loud. 

He looked stunned by her admission.

"Wow. Who could've guessed?" he said, smiling widely and tightening his hold on her. "We'd been in quite a predicament."

That was one way of putting it. 

"Now that's out of the way, are you going to tell me why you reacted like that earlier?" he said as they sat down, settling into a comfortable position next to each other. "I know it was quite a shock, learning each other's identities like that. But I don't think that alone warranted such a violent reaction from you. You were in quite a state. There is something else."

He knew her so well, she thought. And he was as perceptive as usual. She could only hope he'd understand once she explained. 

"It would be quite hard to believe, what I'm about to tell you. And it's not pleasant at all."

"I trust you, m'lady", he said and she thrilled at the term of endearing, which sounded even more loving than usual. 

She took a deep breath and started.

"So. A while ago, Bunnix came to get me."

"Bunnix?" he asked, surprised. "Our hero of last resort? Why?"

"She said something very bad was going to happen in the future and we had to prevent it."

"Ok," he said, urging her to go on. She got a little side tracked by the feeling of his hand in her own. She'd need some time to get used to that. That easy intimacy. The tender loving gestures.

"We're getting to the hard part," she warned. She didn't want to tell him that. To give him that terrible image she had in her own head. But she couldn't spare him.

"I'm here," he said reassuringly.

"She took me to a future where all of Paris was destroyed, everyone dead," she said in a hushed voice. 

His eyes widened in shock. It was probably a lot worse than what he'd expected. And he hadn't heard the worst of it yet.

"How?" he asked, clearly dreading the answer.

She squeezed his hand, while raising the other one to trace the mask around his eyes gently. She remembered all too clearly the white mask, the blinding glare off his snow white suite, the disconcerting blue eyes. So different from her warm, sunny kitty. 

"It was you, Adrien," she said softly. Trying to soften the blow.

She saw him blanch. 

"Me?" he said incredulously. 

"You'd been akumatised. Somehow, your power had destroyed everything. It was only you left." She remembered his remorse, the lonesome tear she'd brushed off his face, the fierce determination to get her Miraculous to fix it all. The tragedy he'd caused unwillingly, apparently. 

"But why?" he asked in a subdued voice. 

"I don't know exactly. I was trying to find a way to defeat you without learning too much in the process because it was dangerous. But... " she trailed off. That was the toughest bit. The one she dreaded the most.

"Tell me."

"You said it was our love. That did this to the world," she whispered, tears filling her eyes again. She looked down, blinking them back. She felt a gloved hand on her cheek and looked up into his eyes. They were full of apprehension, but the love in them still shone through. 

"I refuse to accept that. It couldn't have been it. Us loving each other can't be a bad thing," he said earnestly. She admired his confidence, wondering if he'd felt like that before things went wrong in that alternate future too. She wanted to feel like him, she wanted to prove this wrong. But it was so hard after what she'd seen.

"Tell me everything. There must be something else to clue us in. Something else must have happened," he said, trying to be logical. She could do that.

"Well. You knew who I was," she said. 

"So we'd revealed our identities, in one way or another. It makes sense."

"And you said everything was perfect until Hawk Moth learned about it."

"Hm. SInce I was akumatised, it was to be expected that he had something to do with that. But why would he care if we're in love or not. He'd already tried to manipulate us, our feelings." What he meant was his feelings. She remembered that sentimonster that looked like her and shuddered. "But what did he do? How did he manage to akumatise me?" he wondered out loud. 

"It must have been quite a powerful negative emotion you felt," she said. Or more than one. 

"I couldn't imagine it. I've never gotten even close to something like that."

She had though.

"I did a few times," she admitted.

"Really?" he looked astonished.

"Chloe. Lila," she said by way of explanation. He nodded, understanding.

"I fought off one. The other time Mrs. Bustier took the hit. The last time... he almost succeeded, but something made him drop the connection and he missed the moment," she finished, hanging her head. She was ashamed but also full of dread, remembering how close she'd been.

"That's so strange. That I've never been targeted as a civilian," he mused. "I'd never really thought about it. I've had my fair share of disappointment and even anger. I always guessed I was kind of immune to it. That we both were."  
"I don't know why he hand't tried before with you. Maybe you've been lucky. We could speculate forever and not get closer to the truth. We have no clue." 

"Yet, you'd somehow caught his eye. He tried more than once with you," he noted.

"Maybe I'm more prone to negative emotions." This was a horrible thought but one she needed to address. "Or he was intrigued by my ability to resist," she added. Remembering Tikki's encouragement, her own determination. 

"I don't like that idea though. It means he has a special interest in you," he said, wrapping his arm around her, as if trying to protect her by bringing her closer to him.

"Who knows," Marinette whispered.

"So. He'd tried with your civilian self. And, let's be honest, if we're together out in the open, as Adrien and Marinette, word would get out quickly. People talk. So he'd learn too. Even if he has no interest in me, as far as we know. But it's still not a good idea for people to know," he concluded.

He sounded so reasonable. She'd always seen him as rash, impulsive. But he could be quite formidable when he analysed things in that logical manner, she thought. Of course, she'd always known he's smart. But she'd never seen him as calm and calculating. Not in a bad way, just determined to figure things out.

"It's a good thing Alya and Nino didn't get suspicious today," she said. 

"Absolutely."

"Although I'd have to work harder to put Alya off this track. She's too invested in my love life as it is," she said, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. She'd been so careless, revealing too much in the way careless teenagers that don't have bigger things to worry about do. 

"I wonder why," Adrien said with a cheeky smile.

"Stop it, kitty." she chided him. And she was amazed by how their usual banter was back in place. So quickly they'd fallen into their old roles. Or it was more like a blend of their old roles and the new dynamic in their relationship. Whatever that was. "I'd think of something," she noted.

"So. Civilian selves can't date. And it's a bad idea for Ladybug and Chat Noir to be seen together, we know. Also. I was akumatised as Chat. So definitely no," he said. Her heart sank. She'd known that. That's why she'd fought so hard. But hearing it now, after they'd found each other, hurt more.

"I know," she agreed. "That's why I panicked when i found out it was you. Because it meant I'd lose you too. Not that I ever had you. But... it was hard enough trying to protect my heart from falling for Chat." She said, looking away. 

His gentle hand once again returned her gaze to his. 

"I'm sorry you had to do that. It must have been awful for you, knowing what you knew," he said. She just nodded.

"But I don't think this means we can't be together," he said slowly. She looked at him in surprise. What was he saying?

"Answer this first. Do you want this?" he asked. "Us." He was looking intently at her. 

She didn't have to think. It may be the wrong thing to want, but she knew she did. But...

"I'm afraid," she admitted. She didn't want to face Chat Blanc again. She didn't want to see Adrien reduced to a sad, lonely villain. 

"Me too," he replied. 

"But I do want it. Of course I do. But it's still dangerous," she said, sadness colouring her voice.

"We can figure a way for this to work. We'd have to hide. It would be hard. It wouldn't be much of a relationship, stealing a kiss or two on some rooftop, hiding from the world... " he was saying.

Yes, it would be hard. But to have him, to know he loved her too... This was all she wanted. 

"I love you," she said. It came out easily. Without planning. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. This was how she felt about him. Especially now. When her feelings for two boys blended into one. It was stronger and easier at the same time.

He looked at her in surprise and delight. 

"I love you too," he said, touching his forehead to hers. 

"It would be hard. But we can do this," she said, surprised by how sure she felt all of a sudden. That was what he did to her. Made her feel stronger, more confident. 

"You really want to?" he asked hesitantly.

In response she just kissed him. It may be stolen moments and kisses. But it would still be their love. They'd fight for it. She didn't want to see him like she'd seen him in that alternate future. So she'd do her best to make him happy. If he was happy, if he knew she loved him, he could overcome anything, she was sure. Together they could do it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can I just say that those Chat Blanc flashbacks hurt me so much? It's a been a week and it still hurts... :(


End file.
